In this FIG, you will explore three different academic disciplines that examine the roles of humans in the wider world. In Anthropology 120: “Ancient Technology, Gender, and Environment” we will focus on the ways archaeologists study the past through analyses of ancient technologies, looking specifically at the impact the environment had on technology as well as the role of gender in the development of different technologies. We will follow the development of human culture and technology through time and from many different perspectives including anthropological, art historical, scientific and ideological angles. You will gain hands-on experience with ancient artifacts and will learn about these technologies through actual manufacture, supplemented by readings, discussions, lectures, films, and library research. We will engage in the manufacture of stone tools as well as tools and objects made from wood, fiber, ceramics, glazes, antler, bone, copper/bronze and iron/steel.

By the end of the class, you will have a basic understanding of major phases in human cultural and technological development and how archaeology helps us understand our rich and diverse world. We will also draw on insights from the linked classes to deepen our understanding of the relationship between humans and the environment.

Geography 139: “Global Environmental Issues” — This class explores the global and local nature of environmental problems facing humanity, including climate change, food and energy scarcity, deforestation, biodiversity loss, environmental justice, and population growth. Through group and individual work, you will learn to analyze and address environmental problems on many scales. A key theme will be that what appear to be monolithic global environmental problems are actually many smaller, context-specific and place-dependent problems that when addressed with interdisciplinary and geographic perspectives can be understood and addressed at the scale of our lived lives.

Environmental Studies 260: “Introductory Ecology” — This class explores the relationships of organisms and the environment: population dynamics and community organization, human-environment relationships, and action programs. The primary goal of this class is to place ecological thought in an interdisciplinary framework that encompasses the ecology of humans as another unique species evolving and interacting within Earth’s ecosystems. We focus on the biosphere (i.e., only superficial treatment of the ecology of water, energy, chemical cycling, inorganic substrates, etc.), and introduce major branches of ecology from community ecology and ecosystems to population ecology to behavioral ecology.

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This FIG offers the beginning art student three of the six foundation classes which are required for the Bachelor of Science in Art, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science in Art Education degree programs. (Note: The other three classes will be offered in a Spring FIG.)

The Art Department has been offering this FIG for the many years. Art majors are very enthusiastic about this program. They enjoy the sense of community and have reaped the benefits of beginning their undergraduate careers as a team, helping each other develop their technical drawing and design skills, while simultaneously being introduced to contemporary and historical practices in art.

Art 108: “Foundations of Contemporary Art” provides the historical context for the richly diverse state of contemporary art practice, and is the springboard for new art students to launch their own unique, artistic visions.

In Art 102: “Two-Dimensional Design” and Art 212: “Drawing Methods and Concepts,” you will be led through a series of projects that develop and hone their visual vocabulary through exercises in composition, line, value, texture, and color manipulations. They will be asked to challenge themselves to consistently build upon existing skills and ideas, and to strive for excellence in the successful combination of idea and form in all their work.

This FIG offers the beginning art student three of the six foundation classes which are required for the Bachelor of Science in Art, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science in Art Education degree programs. (Note: The other three classes will be offered in a Spring FIG.)

The Art Department has been offering this FIG for many years. Art majors are very enthusiastic about this program. They enjoy the sense of community and have reaped the benefits of beginning their undergraduate careers as a team, helping each other develop their technical drawing and design skills, while simultaneously being introduced to contemporary and historical practices in art.

Art 108: “Foundations of Contemporary Art” provides the historical context for the richly diverse state of contemporary art practice, and is the springboard for new art students to launch their own unique, artistic visions.

In Art 102: “Two-Dimensional Design” and Art 212: “Drawing Methods and Concepts,” you will be led through a series of projects that develop and hone their visual vocabulary through exercises in composition, line, value, texture, and color manipulations. They will be asked to challenge themselves to consistently build upon existing skills and ideas, and to strive for excellence in the successful combination of idea and form in all their work.

What does it mean to be social? What advantages do social and communication skills afford individuals in society? People with autism find social communication challenging. What barriers do people with autism face at work, at school, and in everyday life? How can schools, workplaces, and communities become more inclusive of individuals with autism?

Autism affects everyone in some way. Perhaps you have met a person with autism at school or work, have a person with autism in your family, or you have an autism diagnosis yourself. The central class for this FIG, Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education 200: “Issues in Special Education,” will provide an overview of the intersections among autism and areas such as education, the media, medicine, law, family life, and neuroscience. You will learn about how having autism affects friendships and social life, as well as how students with autism experience college. The purpose will be to capture your interest in studying a field related to autism; broaden your perspectives about the experiences of individuals with autism; and (c) empower you to create a more inclusive and welcoming society for individuals with autism.

Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education 300: “Individuals with Disabilities” — This class is designed to introduce class members to the concept of disability and to the field of special education. The history, etiology, and characteristics of specific categories of disability will be examined, as will educational programs designed to meet the needs and interests of school-age students with disabilities. Topics germane to the study of disability and the field of special education such as cultural and linguistic diversity and inclusion will also be explored.

In this FIG you will actively engage in our class community through the process of science and uncover “how we know what we know” through scientific discovery. You will have an opportunity to work in a team of three to four students to ask a novel question and do biology research on a topic of your choice: from ecology and physiology to cell biology. You will explore both the “how” and “why” questions that drive the process of science by doing research; and analyze how science is communicated by visiting research labs, and by talking with researchers in UW Madison laboratories across campus. The other classes linked to this main FIG seminar will also contribute to your understanding of the process of science and being a scientist. This FIG is taught by instructors in the Biocore Program and will allow for opportunities to explore the Biocore sequence as an option to begin during your sophomore year.

Chemistry 109: “Advanced General Chemistry” — This is a one-semester, accelerated introductory university class in chemistry that is designed for students with good chemistry and mathematics background preparation who desire a one-semester coverage of general chemistry.

History of Science 201: “The Origins of Scientific Thought” — What does science have to do with religion? What does it mean to have expertise about the natural world? And what difference do politics and funding sources make to scientific investigation? Learn how to think critically and historically about science in this course by exploring such fundamental questions across two millennia. We begin with ancient mythology and philosophy, then follow the movement of the Greek classical tradition into medieval Islam and Christendom, and finally turn to the “revolution” in science of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. These historical investigations provide vital insights into ideas of the “natural,” scientific observation, and experiment, as well as into our expectations of scientific knowledge and the scientific enterprise.

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In the main FIG seminar, History 200: “Seven Deadly Sins in American History,” we will explore Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. As the historian Aviad Kleinberg notes, “[t]here is no sin without context,” and the aim of this seminar, then, is to examine the many contexts, the rich history, of sin in American culture and society. We will explore how, from the colonial period up until today, notions of pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth have gripped the moral imaginations of Americans.

Using the tools of the intellectual and cultural historian, we will explore the medieval prehistory of the seven deadly sins, how they made their way into early American life, and how they have changed dramatically over the course of the centuries, moving between characterizations of wayward individuals to condemnations of entire social groups. We will explore how notions of sin and evil have been laden with gendered, racial, religious, and class assumptions, and how they have differed within and between cultural, ethnic, and religious communities. We will also examine the curious process whereby sins in one historical period have been transformed into virtues in another.

You will not only learn that (and how) ideas of good and evil have a history, but also how historians use different sources to access the longings, fears, and possible motivations of historical actors. We also will draw on insights from the other classes in this FIG to enrich our analysis of this topic.

Philosophy 101: “Introduction to Philosophy” — This class provides an overview of some central questions of philosophy, and explains how philosophers go about investigating them. We will cover questions concerning the relation between mind and body, the nature of knowledge, the existence of the universe, moral obligation and value (what makes an action right vs. wrong?), and belief vs. nonbelief in God. We will also learn logical reasoning skills, which we will apply when discussing these questions.

Legal Studies 131: “Criminal Justice in America” — You will be introduced to the fundamental features of the American criminal justice system. Together we will examine the theory and foundation, structure, function, and history of the criminal justice system through an interdisciplinary prism. We consider the system in the context of four core themes:

theoretical differences between “factual guilt” and “legal guilt” and the meanings of “crime;”

tension between maintaining public safety and preserving individual rights;

relationship between public expectations of the criminal justice system and how the system operates in reality;

how the discretionary decisions of various actors in the system affect the operation of the criminal justice system.

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This FIG introduces you to one of our most-used sensory systems by examining both how the human eye is put together and how it works. The main class of this FIG, Interdisciplinary Letters & Science 101: “Biology of Vision,” will make use of the vision science laboratory. In this class, you will see how multi-disciplinary the study of vision is as they explore how psychology, physics, biology, and clinical practice are brought together:

How do we perceive visual information (psychology)?

How is light energy converted to chemical and electrical energy (physics)?

What are the similarities and differences between a camera and the eye (physics)?

How does the nervous system work to transmit visual messages and coordinated responses (biology)?

How do photoreceptors transduce visual information and retina processes before it is analyzed by brain (biology)?

What physiological or neurological factors cause a lack of visual perception (clinical practice)?

Psychology 202: “Introduction to Psychology” — Visual sensitivity like scene perception, human color vision, complex visual information of object recognition, contrast, depth, motion are all aspects of psychophysics. Blindness is an important aspect of neuropsychology. This class will help demonstrate how physiological events of visual perception are an important aspect of the psychological bases of human behavior.

What work do life narratives accomplish in the world? Can personal stories become public interventions? How do authors like James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Patricia Williams translate their experiences of race to the public? Through the examination of black memoirs, personal essays, autobiographical documentaries, and spoken words, this FIG will link life narratives’ dual direction: a “looking in” to the self and a “looking out” to community, nation, and diaspora. We will discuss the unique ways in which contemporary life narratives address race and its entanglement with other facets of identity, such as class, gender, sexual orientation, and nationality. The other classes in this FIG will contribute to our understanding of these issues.

Afro-American Studies 231: “Introduction to Afro-American History” — This class provides a survey from the African beginnings to the present day. It includes analysis of the slave trade and slavery; major black figures of the past; and social, economic, and political trends within the black community.

Sociology 125: “American Society: How it Really Works” — This class provides an extended answer to the question “What kind of a society is the United States?” It also explores the implications of that answer for understanding and making progress on solving some of the problems that confront America today. Our analysis revolves around five key values that most Americans believe this society should realize: freedom, prosperity, efficiency, fairness, and Democracy. Our basic question is: To what degree does contemporary American society realize these values and how might it do a better job? A second but important question for us is: How do social scientists go about answering such questions?

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For many, capitalism and the United States are inseparable. How can studying capitalism enrich our understanding of American society, politics, and culture? This FIG will take an interdisciplinary approach to this question, examining capitalism as both a theory and a contested idea that heavily shaped U.S. history. How has capitalism changed over time? How has it served to justify political and economic action? How have people from different backgrounds articulated capitalism’s promises and pitfalls? The main FIG seminar will be History 200: “Capitalism and America.” This seminar will tackle these questions while also considering the perspectives of the linking classes as we investigate the ways capitalism has ordered American life.

Economics 101: “Principles of Microeconomics” — Economics is the study of the production, allocation and distribution of goods and services in a world where resources are scarce. In this class we will explore some basic concepts: the notion of scarcity and how it relates to opportunity cost; supply and demand; taxation and other government programs; externalities and public goods; production and cost theory; perfect competition, monopoly and other types of market structures; factor markets; and consumer theory.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — This class provides a sociological approach to race and ethnicity in which we consider race and ethnicity as social constructs that permeate social life, are entrenched in social structures and institutions, and shift over time and space. We will examine the particular historical and contemporary ways in which race and ethnicity are made meaningful in the United States.

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The main class of this FIG, Philosophy 104: “Children, Marriage, and Family,” is a class in moral philosophy that examines the ethical questions surrounding family life. But it is different from most philosophy classes in two ways. First, we shall be looking at a series of issues concerning a very specific area of morality: the issues concerning children, parents, and family life. What moral norms or values ought to guide both public policy and personal behavior? How should those norms guide us? So, it is very tightly focused on issues that you ought, already, to have thought about.

The second way it differs from most philosophy classes is that we will be reading a good deal of non-philosophical literature. In order to reflect critically on the norms and values relevant to the family, we have to know something about the family: what families have actually been like and what they actually are like, as well as about their effects on the social environment. Here are just three of the topics we’ll discuss:

Should parents be licensed?

Should the government promote marriage?

How much should parents control their children’s values?

The class involves reading, a little lecturing, and a lot of discussion. The new ideas you encounter will stretch your imaginations, will also help you to think better about some of the central decisions in your life, like whether to have children, how to raise them, whether to marry (and if so, who you should choose!). We’ll form a community of learners: you will get to know your classmates. You will discover that, even within a small class, students have had very different experiences of family life, and you will get to understand and reflect on their perspectives. To help build our community, we will meet for a supplemental discussion section on Thursdays from 1:20 to 2:10 pm. No prior exposure to Philosophy is needed; and most students find, to their surprise, that they want to take at least another course on the same kinds of issues.

Sociology 120: “Marriage and Family” — Learn about how our society structures family life, what the effects are of different forms of family on children, and how families affect other people.

Educational Psychology 320: “Human Development in Infancy and Childhood” — Normative processes and individual differences in physical, mental, social and emotional development and behavior from infancy through late childhood.

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At its core, history is a collection of ancient stories with themes that often appear over and over again. It’s no wonder, then, that ancient myths find their way into modern lives every day. So, a central question explored by this FIG is: How do myths find their ways into our lives—into our poetry, our literature, our popular culture? To answer this question, we will dive into studies of classical literature as well as contemporary artistic and literary adaptations to examine the continuing presence of myth in society today.

We will investigate puzzles: How do the lost fragments of an ancient Greek poem travel from archeologists, to translators, to us, speaking across time of love and desire? And these questions lead to other explorations:

What do our campus tall-tales tell us about UW–Madison’s history and values?

When we enter into these stories through creative retelling, how do we become a more integral part of our campus?

What do the stories of diverse American traditions—the Gullah people of South Carolina, whose language resonates with African rhythms—tell us about how African storytelling traditions connect to the Br’er Rabbit stories of the American South?

And what is the Mississippi Blues music tradition doing in an American Indian novel from the Pacific Northwest?

The main seminar in this FIG, English 155: “Classical Myth and Modern Literature,” explores ways that modern American culture interprets, adopts, and adapts classical myth in order to address contemporary social, aesthetic, and political concerns. Each class in the FIG deals primarily with the classical worlds of Greece and Rome, but by tracing these adaptations and the transmission of stories from one culture, time, and place to another, you will also study other ancient civilizations from the Middle East, Africa, and Native America. The historical, archaeological, and literary approaches to the legacy of the classical world will take you out of the classroom, to the museum, the library, the laboratory, and the green spaces across campus—each with its own story to tell.

Integrated Liberal Studies 203: “Western Culture: Literature and the Arts I” — This class examines Western art and literature from the earliest human civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to the late medieval period, with substantial emphasis on classical antiquity and a view toward revealing how art and literature of western culture shape today’s modern culture. You will gain foundational knowledge of the Western intellectual tradition, and this includes acquiring critical skills for viewing art and reading literature. Emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking and discussion skills.

Latin 103: “Elementary Latin” — The “dead” language, Latin, will never become more alive as it will when you are able to see all of its influence in the texts we study and also in other classes you pursue throughout your college career. Learning Latin is an opportunity and skill of a lifetime. This may be the only time you will be able to learn mythology while studying it. Carpe diem! Travel through time and discover why our world is shaped the way it is today as you listen to what stories from other times and places have to tell us about who we are today—and do some storytelling of your own!

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The main seminar for this FIG, Interdisciplinary Courses (L&S) 106: “Democratic Ideas,” will pursue the following fundamental questions: What is democracy? What are the challenges democracy has faced in the past and faces today? What are the possibilities and problems of democracy? As a political theory class, we will explore both primary texts from the past and consider recent works about contemporary democracy. A key goal of this FIG is for you to engage critically in thinking about what democratic citizenship requires and involves. To this end, we will also make good use of the insights and ideas presented in the other classes linked to this FIG.

International Studies 101: “Introduction to International Studies” — Familiarizes you with the field of international studies, and performs an interdisciplinary examination of the cultural, political, economic, and social patterns that have defined the modern world.

Folklore 100: “Introduction to Folklore” — Surveys folklore in the United States and around the world, with a comparative emphasis on ways in which individuals and groups use beliefs, songs, stories, sayings, dances, festivals, and artifacts to address issues of identity, authenticity, and authority, in complex societies.

Inter L&S 145: “How to Succeed in College” — This class will help you build skills you'll need to succeed in college. Drawing on the latest research on how people learn, the class will give you practical guidance on study skills, time management, academic writing, motivation, and self-direction.

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This FIG will provide experiences, knowledge, and skills to be an advocate and leader for educational equity and excellence in the field of special education. This FIG will examine the connections between dis/ability, race/ethnicity, and culture, in education and society in the United States and supports and services that promote meaningful inclusion in community and educational settings.
The main seminar in this FIG, Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education 200: “Issues in Special Education” will examine the educational experiences of students with disabilities and students from nonmajority backgrounds who are identified as needing special education services. We will cover services, models, and outcomes of special education instruction that promote inclusive education. Learning opportunities and activities will include exposure to campus resources and community-based experiences to enhance and expand on the ideas presented in the course. Our discussions and learning experiences in this course will be informed by and complement the content covered in the other two linked classes in this FIG.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — This class examines social structures that shape and are shaped by race, ethnicity, racism, and racial/ethnic inequalities. You will learn to understand race and ethnicity as social constructs, and learn how race and ethnicity exist within social structures and institutions.

Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education 300: “Individuals with Disabilities” — This class is designed to introduce you to the history, etiology, and characteristics of specific categories of disability. It incorporates hands on learning as you develop your own service-learning projects directly related to working with persons with disabilities.

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What does it mean to be famous? Where did the idea of celebrity come from, and how did it work in different times and places throughout history? How are our views of famous people shaped by the stories that have been told about them? This FIG examines celebrity and soloistic pursuits in a range of artistic contexts, focusing on music and theater in Europe and America and the solo performer, from around 1600 to around 1900—though students will be encouraged to pursue independent projects outside this chronological frame according to their interests. We will investigate celebrity as a historical construct and as a form of identity that people have performed in different ways and for different reasons. We will explore the cultural processes that have privileged and rewarded individual achievement throughout history. More broadly, we will examine the interdependent relationship between performers, audiences, and creative personnel that have shaped this history, and understand the interconnectedness of various forms of art and culture through the implications of non-artistic concerns on artists’ development. The other classes in the FIG will deepen our exploration of this topic.

Gender and Women’s Studies 102: “Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective” — This introductory class provides you with an understanding of the essential concepts and methods of feminist inquiry, as well as a wide range of global women’s and gender issues. When the class concludes you should be able to use the basic tools of feminist inquiry to explore how power relations based on gender, class, race, sexuality, location, and ability impact the lives of others in local, national, and global contexts. In addition, you should be able to use these tools to examine their own experiences and social situatedness.

This FIG will examine issues related to human energy consumption and climate change, with our main seminar focusing on learning and applying the relevant physics concepts. The main seminar, Physics 115: “Energy,” will also provide an opportunity to discuss and synthesize broader interdisciplinary issues addressed in the two linked classes. We will study the physics of energy production and consumption as well as the local and global impacts of energy production and consumption on humans and the environment, including climate change. We will explore current and possible future energy sources used in society, quantitatively evaluating their advantages and disadvantages, and we will consider ways to improve our portfolio of energy sources by weighing various priorities including human and environmental impacts. In the process, we will address issues of interest to students in physics, environmental studies, earth systems, geology, and public policy, among others. Students will practice what they learn through assignments including problem solving (calculations) and writing. Requires the completion of high school algebra and geometry as well as the UW General Education Requirement called Quantitative Reasoning A.

LaFollette School of Public Affairs 200: “Contemporary Public Policy Issues” — The goal of this class is to offer a general primer on large-scale social, economic and other policies directed by federal and state governments, with specific examples in pressing policy areas. The class puts a focus on a set of specific contemporary public policy questions of concern to policymakers and society. Students will gain a broad overall knowledge of how the majority of state and federal funding is spent and the policy outcomes associated with that spending, including its impacts on society.

Environmental Studies 112: “Environmental Studies: The Social Perspective” — This course emphasizes the importance of social factors in the generation and resolution of complex environmental problems with an interdisciplinary perspective. Comparison of specific communities in the more and less developed areas of the world is included.

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Thinking about majoring in a bioscience field? Explore exciting bioscience topics and opportunities at UW–Madison in this FIG. In Integrated Science 100: “Exploring Biology” you will:

learn skills and ways of thinking that will prepare you for success in future biology classes;

gain new perspectives on broad topics and current research in biology;

explore opportunities and careers that can come with a bioscience major;

pick up great tips and advice on how to get the most out of being a bioscience major; and

meet new friends and mentors who share your interest in biology.

This unique class is taught by a team of dynamic instructors with diverse backgrounds in the biological sciences to introduce you to a wide range of topics. Peer leaders—upperclassmen at UW–Madison—will also share the student perspective of navigating classes, co-curricular opportunities and the Wisconsin Experience. You will get connected to bioscience events, opportunities, and people at UW–Madison.

This class brings five Exploring Biology FIGs together into one combined class. You will be grouped with other students in your FIG and paired with an instructor and peer leader that you will work closely with throughout the semester as you engage in interactive and collaborative activities. (Note that this is not an introduction to biology class.)

Quotes from Integrated Science 100 students:

“I learned about different aspects of biology, but also things about my campus and the resources that are available.”

“This class allows you to explore major biological themes and the different paths you could take if you continue to study biology or any other science.”

“The relationships that I built in the class are ones that I expect to keep in the future.”

“I learned skills which will be useful in other college classes.”

“I learned of the countless activities on campus and how to get involved. I met some very kind and interesting people.”

English 100: “Introduction to College Composition” — This class treats writing as both an act of inquiry and communication, and it offers opportunities to identify, develop, and express concepts; engage in conversations with the ideas of others; and critique and construct arguments through original research.

Gender & Women’s Studies 200: “Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ Studies” — A multidisciplinary introduction to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) studies, including theories of identity formation, different societal interaction with LGBTQ communities, LGBTQ cultures in history, and contemporary legal and political issues. Class materials explore the intersections between LGBTQ identities and other socially marginalized identities, including (but not limited to) those based on race, ethnicity, religion, and disability.

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Thinking about majoring in a bioscience field? Explore exciting bioscience topics and opportunities at UW–Madison in this FIG. In Integrated Science 100: “Exploring Biology” you will:

learn skills and ways of thinking that will prepare you for success in future biology classes;

gain new perspectives on broad topics and current research in biology;

explore opportunities and careers that can come with a bioscience major;

pick up great tips and advice on how to get the most out of being a bioscience major; and

meet new friends and mentors who share your interest in biology.

This unique class is taught by a team of dynamic instructors with diverse backgrounds in the biological sciences to introduce you to a wide range of topics. Peer leaders—upperclassmen at UW–Madison—will also share the student perspective of navigating classes, co-curricular opportunities and the Wisconsin Experience. You will get connected to bioscience events, opportunities, and people at UW–Madison.

This class brings five Exploring Biology FIGs together into one combined class. You will be grouped with other students in your FIG and paired with an instructor and peer leader that you will work closely with throughout the semester as you engage in interactive and collaborative activities. (Note that this is not an introduction to biology class.)

Quotes from Integrated Science 100 students:

“I learned about different aspects of biology, but also things about my campus and the resources that are available.”

“This class allows you to explore major biological themes and the different paths you could take if you continue to study biology or any other science.”

“The relationships that I built in the class are ones that I expect to keep in the future.”

“I learned skills which will be useful in other college classes.”

“I learned of the countless activities on campus and how to get involved. I met some very kind and interesting people.”

History of Science 132: “Bees, Trees, Germs, and Genes: A History of Biology” — How did today’s biology emerge out of the diverse traditions of agriculture and natural history (bees and trees, biomedicine and molecular biology, germs and genes) that stretch back into the eighteenth century? In this class, we examine classic texts and “game-changes” in the history of biology, putting them into broader scientific and social contexts to see how these different ways of knowing intertwined, competed, and yielded novel approaches to the study of life that still shape today's life sciences.

Thinking about majoring in a bioscience field? Explore exciting bioscience topics and opportunities at UW–Madison in this FIG. In Integrated Science 100: “Exploring Biology” you will:

learn skills and ways of thinking that will prepare you for success in future biology classes;

gain new perspectives on broad topics and current research in biology;

explore opportunities and careers that can come with a bioscience major;

pick up great tips and advice on how to get the most out of being a bioscience major; and

meet new friends and mentors who share your interest in biology.

This unique class is taught by a team of dynamic instructors with diverse backgrounds in the biological sciences to introduce you to a wide range of topics. Peer leaders—upperclassmen at UW–Madison—will also share the student perspective of navigating classes, co-curricular opportunities and the Wisconsin Experience. You will get connected to bioscience events, opportunities, and people at UW–Madison.

This class brings five Exploring Biology FIGs together into one combined class. You will be grouped with other students in your FIG and paired with an instructor and peer leader that you will work closely with throughout the semester as you engage in interactive and collaborative activities. (Note that this is not an introduction to biology class.)

Quotes from Integrated Science 100 students:

“I learned about different aspects of biology, but also things about my campus and the resources that are available.”

“This class allows you to explore major biological themes and the different paths you could take if you continue to study biology or any other science.”

“The relationships that I built in the class are ones that I expect to keep in the future.”

“I learned skills which will be useful in other college classes.”

“I learned of the countless activities on campus and how to get involved. I met some very kind and interesting people.”

Anthropology 105: “Principles of Biological Anthropology” — Genetic basis of morphological, physiological and behavioral variations within and between human populations, and their origins and evolution.

Thinking about majoring in a bioscience field? Explore exciting bioscience topics and opportunities at UW–Madison in this FIG. In Integrated Science 100: “Exploring Biology” you will:

learn skills and ways of thinking that will prepare you for success in future biology classes;

gain new perspectives on broad topics and current research in biology;

explore opportunities and careers that can come with a bioscience major;

pick up great tips and advice on how to get the most out of being a bioscience major; and

meet new friends and mentors who share your interest in biology.

This unique class is taught by a team of dynamic instructors with diverse backgrounds in the biological sciences to introduce you to a wide range of topics. Peer leaders—upperclassmen at UW–Madison—will also share the student perspective of navigating classes, co-curricular opportunities and the Wisconsin Experience. You will get connected to bioscience events, opportunities, and people at UW–Madison.

This class brings five Exploring Biology FIGs together into one combined class. You will be grouped with other students in your FIG and paired with an instructor and peer leader that you will work closely with throughout the semester as you engage in interactive and collaborative activities. (Note that this is not an introduction to biology class.)

Quotes from Integrated Science 100 students:

“I learned about different aspects of biology, but also things about my campus and the resources that are available.”

“This class allows you to explore major biological themes and the different paths you could take if you continue to study biology or any other science.”

“The relationships that I built in the class are ones that I expect to keep in the future.”

“I learned skills which will be useful in other college classes.”

“I learned of the countless activities on campus and how to get involved. I met some very kind and interesting people.”

Interdisciplinary Courses (SoHE) 201: “Belonging, Purpose, and the Ecology of Human Happiness: EcoYou” — This class explores the art and science of purposeful living by integrating academic knowledge with issues real and relevant to students’ lives including: identity and belonging; happiness, purpose and meaning; self-awareness and self-presentation; romantic, peer and family relationships; material culture, consumer behavior and financial well-being; and connections to community, culture, and society. From the microbes that inhabit our guts to political revolutions sparked by a tweet, human lives are embedded in an ecology of complex, interdependent systems. Using the lens of human ecology, you will address “big questions” like: How am I connected to others and to larger systems? What brings happiness and works for the “greater good” in human lives? An overarching goal of the class is to help you understand yourself as embedded in the web of ever-evolving interconnected networks, an “EcoYou.” Human ecology is a systems approach to studying and understanding relationships between humans and their everyday environments; it is a civic and socially conscious orientation that is committed to understanding and improving the quality of human lives. Human ecology is inherently interdisciplinary drawing on research, theories and methods from diverse fields such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, public health, biology, and art and design.

Thinking about majoring in a bioscience field? Explore exciting bioscience topics and opportunities at UW–Madison in this FIG. In Integrated Science 100: “Exploring Biology” you will:

learn skills and ways of thinking that will prepare you for success in future biology classes;

gain new perspectives on broad topics and current research in biology;

explore opportunities and careers that can come with a bioscience major;

pick up great tips and advice on how to get the most out of being a bioscience major; and

meet new friends and mentors who share your interest in biology.

This unique class is taught by a team of dynamic instructors with diverse backgrounds in the biological sciences to introduce you to a wide range of topics. Peer leaders—upperclassmen at UW–Madison—will also share the student perspective of navigating classes, co-curricular opportunities and the Wisconsin Experience. You will get connected to bioscience events, opportunities, and people at UW–Madison.

This class brings five Exploring Biology FIGs together into one combined class. You will be grouped with other students in your FIG and paired with an instructor and peer leader that you will work closely with throughout the semester as you engage in interactive and collaborative activities. (Note that this is not an introduction to biology class.)

Quotes from Integrated Science 100 students:

“I learned about different aspects of biology, but also things about my campus and the resources that are available.”

“This class allows you to explore major biological themes and the different paths you could take if you continue to study biology or any other science.”

“The relationships that I built in the class are ones that I expect to keep in the future.”

“I learned skills which will be useful in other college classes.”

“I learned of the countless activities on campus and how to get involved. I met some very kind and interesting people.”

Gender and Women’s Studies 103: “Women and Their Bodies in Health and Disease” — Information on physiological processes and phenomena relating to health (for example, menstruation, pregnancy) and ill health (for example, cancer, maternal mortality, depression). Attention to how bodies are located in social contexts that influence health and illness. Explorations of how multiple kinds of social inequalities shape health and health disparities. Information on roles that female-assigned and women-identified people play as health-care consumers, activists, and practitioners.

The First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community is a cutting-edge multicultural artistic program for incoming students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bringing together young artists and leaders from across the United States, the First Wave offers students the opportunity to live, study, and create together in a close-knit, dynamic campus community. The First Wave Learning Community is the first university program in the country centered on spoken word and hip-hop culture.

Physics 109: “Physics in the Arts” — This is a class on sound and light for non-science majors. It covers the nature of sound and sound perception; fundamentals of harmony, musical scales, and musical instruments. Studies of light including lenses, photography, color perception, and color mixing.

Afro-American Studies 154: “Hip-Hop and American Contemporary Society” — Traces hip-hop’s origins in Jamaica and the Bronx, its evolution in various regions of North America, primarily the United States, and its emergence as a global phenomenon. It explores the themes, ideas and debates about hip-hop that have emerged both within the world of hip-hop and the broader society.

Integrated Arts 110: “The Studio Seminar: Mapping Your Creative Practice” — This class is for residents of the Studio Learning Community. Community members will engage in an interdisciplinary hands-on approach to the creative arts and gain familiarity with the wide variety of arts disciplines on campus.

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Are you curious about Italian food? If so, this FIG will allow you to explore the great variety of food cultures of Italy, the connection between local foods and local identities, and the representation of food in Italian literature from the nineteenth century to the present. You will discover novels with recipes, and cookbooks that read like a collection of stories. You will learn about the great migration at the end of the nineteenth century from Italy to North America, the export of Italian cuisine to America and the world, and the importance of food to ethnic identity. You will find out how the American supermarket model was used in Italy. You will also learn about contemporary food movements born in Italy such as Slow Food and other interesting sustainable food programs in Italy. You will discover:

the variety of food cultures in Italy;

the impact of globalization on local food cultures and products;

the politics of gender and food;

the history of pizza;

food in Italian-American Little Italys;

why Italian Futurist artists were against pasta; and

why Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with the Italian pasta machine.

The main seminar in this FIG, Literature in Translation 410: “Food Cultures of Italy,” is not a traditional lecture class. It requires active participation. You will shop for Italian food, learn how to read labels, and discover what is real Italian food and what is fake Italian-sounding food. You will collaborate with other students on group projects. You will explore the local food history of the Greenbush (the Italian-American community in Madison) and the region. You will compare American food traditions and habits to those of Italy. You will also do hands-on food demonstrations and tastings for a real taste-of-Italy experience. The two linked classes will provide useful connections and tools.

Horticulture 120: “Survey of Horticulture” — Learn about the history and philosophy of gardening, explore our Mediterranean garden, and make the connection between plant cultivation and their culinary uses.

Italian 101: “First Semester Italian” — Get closer to Italian culture, including food, while learning one of the great languages of the world. Buon appetito!

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What does the Haitian revolution have to do with Nat Turner’s and Denmark Vesey’s revolts in the United States? Is science fiction an appropriate genre to examine the relationship between slavery’s past and present legacies? We will examine how global conceptions of freedom and slavery shaped nineteenth- and twentieth-century American literature and culture. The relationship between these two identity-forming ideas in the political, social and cultural history of the United States has been artistically rendered, challenged, and re-invented through literature. We will explore how evolving definitions of what it meant to be enslaved informed American understandings of freedom. The organization of this course will be thematic rather than chronological; however, the majority of the works studied will address how the aftermath of slavery and the Reconstruction era affected literary and cultural productions, particularly, though not exclusively, between the Civil War and World War II.

To augment readings by authors such as Herman Melville, Harriet Jacobs, Colson Whitehead, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, and Frederick Douglass we will also discuss how visual culture, from Kara Walker’s silhouettes to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, reimagines the antebellum era by using its powerful media to engage, transform, and transmit images of the inevitably intertwined ideas of freedom and slavery. The other classes in this FIG will supplement our analysis of these issues.

Afro-American Studies 231: “Introduction to Afro-American History” — This class provides a survey from the African beginnings to the present day. It includes analysis of the slave trade and slavery; major black figures of the past; and social, economic, and political trends within the black community.

Gender and Women’s Studies 102: “Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective” — This introductory class provides students with an understanding of the essential concepts and methods of feminist inquiry, as well as a wide range of global women’s and gender issues. When the class concludes you should be able to use the basic tools of feminist inquiry to explore how power relations based on gender, class, race, sexuality, location and ability impact the lives of others in local, national and global contexts. In addition, you should be able to use these tools to examine their own experiences and social situatedness.

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In this main FIG seminar, Curriculum & Instruction 357: “Game Design I,” you will develop fundamental skills in designing interactive systems through the design, construction, and analysis of playable game prototypes. Collaboratively and individually, you will create a variety of projects including: board games, card games, social and performative games, and interactive fiction/nonfiction. This class is aimed at students who are interested in games as an art form and does not require any prior coding or game design experience. The other classes in this FIG will inform our understanding of design, communication, and representation.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — The nature of intergroup relations; emphasis on various forms of racism, discrimination, and white privilege; historical background and characteristics of American Indians, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities; a consideration of economic, housing, political, legal, educational, familial, and health challenges faced by minority groups in U.S. society.

Communication Arts 200: “Introduction to Digital Communication” — An introduction to digital communication and how it shapes our everyday lives. You will develop digital communication skills, explore digital media tools and trends, and examine expressions of power online.

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The main seminar of this FIG, Asian Languages and Cultures 300: “Gender and Sexuality in South Asia,” surveys ideas about gender and sexuality in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. You will explore a variety of topics, including arranged versus love marriage, the “myth” of homosexuality in South Asian culture, the “third gender” (hijras), sex-selection abortion, surrogacy, and sexual diversity in film and literature. Through our analysis of gender and sexuality in India and surrounding countries, we will also contextualize our own cultural perceptions about ourselves and the society in which we live. With the goal of helping you learn to cultivate their own critical-thinking skills, the main seminar is partly self-assessed and has no final exam. There is a high expectation of active participation in group discussion (though accommodations will be made where necessary), both online and in the classroom, and every class requires a written response to the readings for that day. Classes may include movies, guest lectures, student presentations, and food!

Asian Languages and Cultures 100: “Gateway to Asia: Trek and Encounter” — Offers a comparative and interdisciplinary introduction to multiple cultures of Asia. Possible topics include but are not limited to: travelogues; the languages of Asia; food cultures of Asia.

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You will first explore global biodiversity: what it is and why it is both important and in peril. We will then focus on the role of taxonomy in biodiversity. Finally, we will turn our attention to insects—by far the most diverse group of multi-cellular organisms on Earth, accounting for more than 58% of all known global biological diversity and some 70% of all animal diversity. Yet most insects go unnoticed by the average human and the few that receive our attention usually do so by negative attributes of their biology or association with us. This is a shame, since many fundamental advances in medical and biological sciences from molecular biology to genetics, from biodiversity to behavior, and from phylogenetic systematics to global climate change have been based on entomological research. Insects are central to agricultural production both as competitors and essential pollinators, and they play a significant role in human health as well as insights into forensic sciences.

With background information developed in the linked classes, the main seminar in this FIG, Entomology 375: “Global Biodiversity and the Sixth Mass Extinction,” will begin to frame a more realistic picture of insect diversity. You will explore what the immense richness of species means not only to the human species but to the very health of the planet. We will enjoy field trips, a “virtual museum” experience, and other hands-on and experiential learning opportunities to bring the FIG concepts and your class together for an eye-opening journey.

Environmental Studies 201: “Insects and Human Culture” — Importance of insects in the human environment, emphasizing beneficial insects, disease carriers, and agricultural pests that interfere with our food supply. Environmental problems due to insect control agents will also be discussed.

In this biological science FIG, you will explore the intersection of domestic public policy, global public health, socioeconomics, national security, and a sustainable environment.

The main class of this FIG, Plant Pathology 311: “Global Food Security,” will utilize problem-based learning to examine the delicate balance that maintains global food security. You will examine the interactions between domestic public policy and global food production. Food availability depends on sustainable agricultural production with a minimization of losses from disease, contamination, and storage, but also availability of markets. The focus of the FIG will be on the complicated interactions between seemingly independent variables. You will come to a better understanding of the interconnections that shape food availability, and will develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills required for finding answers to biology-related questions:

What are the drivers of food “insecurity”?

What is the role of human population growth?

What are science-based solutions to food security issues?

How can domestic policies influence international outcomes?

“Global Food Security” is taught with integrated alternative approaches such as situated learning activities, case studies, student-led group discussion and debate, and embedded writing assignments. This class carries the CALS International Studies Requirement designation and will also integrate content from the classes linked to this FIG.

Botany 123: “Plants, Parasites, and People” — An exploration of molecular, organismal, and environmental biology using examples related to plants and plant-associated microbes. Topics may include food production, evolution, biotechnology, climate change, plant disease control and other subjects, with attention to the science and to impacts on human health, prosperity, and the environment. This class is highly interactive with a fun weekly lab.

Multiple perspectives on these issues will be presented in readings and discussed in class. While the class will seek to understand global processes and international differences, case material will come primarily from developing countries of the Global South. Within the Global South, one the poorest and most food insecure regions of the world—the Sahelian Region of West Africa (including the countries of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad)—will be a particular focus. The struggles of this region’s people have strongly influenced international understandings of the relationships among food insecurity, the environment, and human health. Despite this regional emphasis, participants will have opportunity to study in more detail the relationships of poverty, nutrition, and environment in geographical areas of most interest to them in group and individual work. We also will use content from the other courses in this FIG to inform our analysis of these issues.

Nutritional Sciences 203: “Introduction to Global Health” — This course is a broad survey of contemporary issues and controversies in global health. It examines both the factors responsible for causing global health problems and the steps needed to move toward possible solutions. The course also includes presentations by a series of speakers from highly varied professions, each of whom discusses how their work contributes to reducing the global burden of disease. A substantial portion of the course focuses on agriculture and nutrition, two disciplines with critical roles in global health that are often omitted from more traditional public and global health courses.

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This FIG is about globalization, world regions, and education. You will study globalization from educational, international studies, and anthropological perspectives. The primary goal is to connect international studies (with a focus on global economic, political, cultural, and social patterns); anthropological understandings of mobility, cultures, and communities; and an understanding of the role of education in society. You will develop:

the ability to understand and locate the role of schooling within local and global economic, political, social, and cultural patterns; and

knowledge about how schools and classrooms can and do reflect and represent global knowledge, perspectives, and issues.

In the main FIG seminar, Curriculum & Instruction 292: “Globalizing Education,” you will consider the impact of globalization on schooling; the relationship of schooling to increasingly global societies; and how policy, curriculum, and instruction can be responsive to globalization.

International Studies 101: “Introduction to International Studies” — This course familiarizes students with the field of international studies, and provides an interdisciplinary examination of the cultural, political, economic, and social patterns that have defined the modern world.

Anthropology 104: “Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity” — This introduction to cultural anthropology for non-majors looks at societies around the world and within the United States to understand how societies are organized, including economics, politics, language, religion, ecology, gender, and kinship.

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This FIG is for first-year students in the College of Engineering. The main class in the FIG, Interdisciplinary Courses (Engineering) 170: “Design Practicum,” will introduce you to design via the invention, fabrication and testing of a device that solves a problem proposed by a real world client. Lectures will address information retrieval techniques, specification writing, methods for enhancing creativity, analysis techniques, scheduling, selection methodologies, cost estimating, sustainability in design, shop safety, engineering ethics, opportunities for engineering students (i.e., study abroad, internships, co-ops), major exploration, fabrication equipment and techniques, and oral and written communication. In this FIG section, we will apply engineering and design toward solving healthcare-related problems while also incorporating insights from the linked Religious Studies class.

Religious Studies 102: “Exploring Religion in Sickness and Health” — An introduction to the study of religion through the lens of health and health through the lens of religion employing approaches from the humanities and social sciences in conversation with health-related disciplines. It asks questions such as: How do religious peoples understand and live in sickness and health? How do people connect physical well-being to spiritual well-being? Medicine to meaning-making? How does looking at religion in sickness and health provide insight into its roles in a variety of cultures and contexts, globally and locally? How do health and religion connect particularly in situations of social marginalization and immigration? How does religion impact understandings of health and sickness beyond the borders of specific religious communities?

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The main class in this FIG, Spanish 224: “Introduction to Hispanic Literatures,” will focus on the treatment and representation of gender in Hispanic literary texts. While speaking Spanish, we will examine the way that male and female roles, as well as machismo and marianismo, have been portrayed in a variety of literary genres, such as poetry (from epic to modern feminist poems), short stories, novels, plays, and in cinema.

Iconic figures such as the seducer Don Juan, an imaginary Don Quijote’s ideal female Dulcinea, as well as sexually provocative and ambiguous characters from Pedro Almodovar’s films will be discussed. We will study, compare and contrast both Spanish and Latin American literary traditions populated by mermaids, amazons, and other “magical” females such as One Hundred Years of Solitude’s Remedios, the beauty who ascended heavenward clutching two bed sheets.

Gender & Women’s Studies 102: “Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective” — You will have the opportunity to think critically about the power relations that affect the lives of diverse women in the United States — diverse in race, class, ability, sexuality, and other markers of power — and will be asked to contemplate the positions of diverse women from around the world. The class focuses on gender and race as key social attributes which shape people’s lives around the world.

Based on your language placement score, you will also enroll in Spanish 226: “Intermediate Language Practice with Emphasis on Writing and Grammar” or Spanish 311: “Advanced Language Practice.”

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The word yoga is now commonly associated with postures and physical exercise. Originally it referred to diverse ascetic and meditative practices aiming at release from the cycle of rebirth.

The main class in this FIG, Languages & Cultures of Asia 300: “Yoga: Ancient Philosophy and Modern Practice,” traces the history and development of yoga practices in the Hindu traditions of India from early to modern times. We will also examine the adaptation of these practices in the West and survey styles of practice from Hot Yoga to Aerial Yoga. The class will include workshops on academic writing, co-taught with instructors from the UW Writing Center, and hands-on instructional sessions in Memorial Library focusing on the effective use of library resources, including academic databases, and research strategies. Thus the class will provide skills that will be useful for future coursework at UW–Madison.

Philosophy 101: “Introduction to Philosophy” — Compare various philosophical positions such as the nature of reality, the foundations of knowledge, and the justification of values.

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How does daily life inform creativity? How can creative practice sustain and transform how we live? How can engaging with creativity tie our individual well-being to the beauty and happiness of others? What are the politics of fun? And can learning how to survive as a college student also help us face the global challenges of surviving and thriving together?

This FIG uses “art/life” questions to open a broader political and ethical inquiry into “how to live?” Because aesthetics (like ethics) are a daily challenge and opportunity for all people, students from all backgrounds and interests are welcome; arts experience is not required, but life experience is.

This class will draw on the two linked classes and on readings on art/life, ethics, creativity, and other topics to explore the daily activities of living: our actions as citizens, friends, consumers, and loved ones, and the value in considering ethics and aesthetics as social rather than individual challenges. We'll question “college life” both as a case study and as a specific set of puzzles that students face in their first year. We'll explore the relation of individuals to social justice. And we’ll pursue student-initiated themes such as how an aesthetics of the everyday can inform personal health, public policy, business practices, or political action.

This class uses the art “studio” model, meaning that it meets for an extended session and that much of the required work happens during that time. We will use writing, blogging, casual sketching, photography, and other creative practices to explore mindful choices in our daily lives (around living spaces, food, consumption, socializing, and civic participation). Each student will develop and pursue art/life practices, and together we will experiment with place-making, cooking, researching, culture-making, and social connection. We will meet in an art studio, a kitchen classroom, on the street, and in a nature preserve, as well as other places where we make art and life.

Interdisciplinary Courses (SoHE) 201: “Belonging, Purpose, and the Ecology of Human Happiness: EcoYou” — This class explores the art and science of purposeful living by integrating academic knowledge with issues real and relevant to students’ lives including: identity and belonging; happiness, purpose and meaning; self-awareness and self-presentation; romantic, peer and family relationships; material culture, consumer behavior and financial well-being; and connections to community, culture, and society. From the microbes that inhabit our guts to political revolutions sparked by a tweet, human lives are embedded in an ecology of complex, interdependent systems. Using the lens of human ecology, you will address “big questions” like: How am I connected to others and to larger systems? What brings happiness and works for the “greater good” in human lives? An overarching goal of the class is to help you understand yourself as embedded in the web of ever-evolving interconnected networks, an “EcoYou.” Human ecology is a systems approach to studying and understanding relationships between humans and their everyday environments; it is a civic and socially conscious orientation that is committed to understanding and improving the quality of human lives. Human ecology is inherently interdisciplinary drawing on research, theories and methods from diverse fields such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, public health, biology, and art and design.

Geography 139: “Global Environmental Issues” — Provides an exploration of the global and local nature of environmental problems facing us, including issues of climate change, food, energy, economic globalization, deforestation and land use change, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity and access, environmental justice, and population. Through group and individual work, this class considers how we should analyze and act on environmental problems as we confront the apparently daunting scale of such issues. The theme of this class is that what appear to be single global environmental problems are actually composed of many smaller context-specific and place-dependent problems or conflicts. Through an interdisciplinary and geographic perspective, these can be understood and addressed at the scale of our lived lives.

photo credit: Clark Peterson

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This is a FIG about memory. We will consider the relative frailty of human memory in comparison to the unforgetting nature of digital storage. Humans forget; computers do not.

The main seminar in this FIG, English 178: “Digital Media, Literature, and Culture,” will begin by considering the relationship between memory and human identity. In many ways, we are who we are because we remember who we are day to day. However, human memory is fragile. We forget things; we misremember events.

By contrast, any and all online activity leaves a trace that can be collected to form a version of the user. This version is not identical to the human user and yet is often a frighteningly accurate image of the user whose behaviors may be tracked and predicted.

Importantly, this digital version of the user is produced by a form of memory (or more precisely a storage of information) that does not forget. You may not remember “liking” that photo on Facebook at 3 am, but Facebook does.

The class will draw its reading and viewing list from a variety of literary and nonliterary sources. Our central texts will include: Frankenstein (1818), Robocop (1987 and 2014), and current debates around NSA surveillance, social media literacy, online persona, and online privacy.

Our primary project will be to develop a digital portfolio of work in collaboration with DesignLab. The other two classes in this FIG will help develop a greater understanding of the place of memory in human experience and a critical perspective on our place in 21st-century digital culture.

Philosophy 101: “Introduction to Philosophy” — The purpose of this class is to give you a better sense of what philosophy is, how it relates to other disciplines, and what it is good for. We will proceed by considering possible answers to a number of key philosophical questions such as: Do we have free will? What is knowledge and what sorts of things can we know? What is the fundamental nature of reality? Does God exist? Is truth relative or objective? Is life absurd and meaningless? What, if anything, determines that an action (for instance, intentionally killing an innocent person) is morally wrong? As will soon become clear, much of philosophy consists in formulating and evaluating arguments.

Computer Sciences 301: “Introduction to Data Programming” — This class will provide you with an introduction to programming from a data science perspective. No previous programming experience is required.

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This FIG is about “Human Rights” broadly. Through readings and discussions, we will explore the diversity of human cultures, and the historical, political-economic, social and cultural meanings of the term “human”—including the ethical imperatives and the exclusionary practices underlying different meanings. Students will become familiar with Human Rights frameworks and institutions, and develop a critical appreciation of their potential as well as limitations in particular sociocultural contexts. For example, we will study the impact of poverty in the United States; young combatants in Colombia’s protracted armed conflict; racism in post-Apartheid South Africa; drug war in the Philippines; girls’ education in Pakistan; and (working) children’s rights in India. In each case, students will be encouraged to incorporate content from the linked classes to deepen our understanding of these issues.

International Studies 101: “Introduction to International Studies” — This class familiarizes students with the field of international studies, and provides an interdisciplinary examination of the cultural, political, economic, and social patterns that have defined the modern world.

Gender and Women’s Studies 102: “Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective” — This introductory class provides you with an understanding of the essential concepts and methods of feminist inquiry, as well as a wide range of global women’s and gender issues. When the class concludes you should be able to use the basic tools of feminist inquiry to explore how power relations based on gender, class, race, sexuality, location, and ability impact the lives of others in local, national, and global contexts. In addition, you should be able to use these tools to examine your own experiences and social situatedness.

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The main class for this FIG, Interdisciplinary Courses (Engineering): “Design Practicum,” will teach you to use engineering tools to address a need for a community in Kenya, Africa. For example, the community may be constrained by their lack of access to key resources like power, transportation, clean water, and food. The FIG will meet in the new UW Makerspace, which is a student-focused, high-tech, rapid prototyping facility with tools across multiple disciplines (electrical, mechanical, computers, and the arts). You will be trained on a wide range of digital fabrication equipment and work in small groups to develop sustainable and affordable products for your clients. You will be encouraged to pursue other related opportunities on campus and participate in an optional 3-week summer study abroad program in Kenya to test your design.

History 277: “Africa: An Introductory Survey” — African society and culture, polity and economy in multidisciplinary perspectives from prehistory and ancient kingdoms through the colonial period to contemporary developments, including modern nationalism, economic development and changing social structure.

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Crimes are on TV and in the paper every day. There are shows and reports on big and small crimes, and big and small criminals. Crimes and the justice system fascinate us on many, sometimes contradictory levels. We watch Dexter, The Good Wife, or Breaking Bad with enthusiasm while at the same time we and the criminal justice system condemn and convict serial killers and drugs lords. This is the same justice system that incarcerates thousands (!) of people that are (later) proven innocent. Are we “Making a Murderer,” to quote the title of the much-debated Netflix documentary? We also often wonder how well the justice system “understands” the individual because law has its own complex way of seeing the world and us and defining our responsibilities.

In this FIG we will explore law, crime and justice in a multi-dimensional way. We will study the criminal justice system as a legal system, look at how it functions, and what particular roles its actors have.

The FIG seminar, Comparative Literature 203: “Law and Literature,” will not only complement what we study in “Criminal Justice in America,” the course offers a unique perspective on law and how it is represented in literature or fiction in general. It might sound counterintuitive, but literature can describe and make understandable certain issues in the legal system much more clearly than a law journal article or the legal discourse in general. Literature provides the other perspective, considers the human condition, and shows how it feels to be subjected to the law. At the same time, literature as a discipline provides tools that help us understand the workings of the law better. How does storytelling in court work? What makes for a convincing story, what roles does rhetoric in a court decision play, why do lawyers often use every day words in such an odd way, and how do lawyers create meaning? We will look at these questions very closely in the FIG seminar. The goal of this FIG is to help students understand that legal and literary studies are connected, and that ideas of law and justice have a foundation in the humanities. This course emphasizes the importance of writing and precise wording, so students can work on and improve their textual-analytical skills. We will discuss our course topics together in an open and inclusive manner. Students will learn to “think” (a little bit) like lawyers, but we will also explore law’s limitations and the benefits of a broader approach to both law and literature.

Legal Studies 131: “Criminal Justice in America” — We will study the criminal justice system as a legal system, look at its elements, how it functions, and what particular roles its actors have. The class follows how a typical case moves through the system, beginning at the stage where police want to make an arrest or search a residence to the moment when an individual reenters society after a prison sentence. Along the way we will look at common myths (people are deterred by harsh sentences, the death penalty saves lives, innocent people don’t confess, etc.) and debunk them.

Sociology 170: “Population Problems” — This sociology class draws on materials and perspectives from the related fields of demography (the statistical study of populations) and epidemiology (the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease states in populations). You will examine how certain social phenomena—particularly structural inequality—influence and are reproduced by population change both globally and in the contemporary United States. The class will focus on issues that feature in current social science and public policy debates, including population aging, fertility and reproduction, immigration, and social inequalities, with a special attention to disparities by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

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The main seminar in this FIG, Library and Information Studies 301: “Information Literacies in Online Spaces,” explores the information and digital literacies needed by today’s online consumers and producers. Issues to be covered include access (digital divides, power relations in online communities, regulation), analysis (assessing credibility, evaluating risks, analyzing representation), and production (editing Wikipedia and creating a video game). This class engages you in key debates and research related to digital literacies, connects with concepts covered in the other FIG courses, and develops information literacies. The three classes that comprise this FIG will prepare you with reading, writing, and analytical skills that will be useful across the humanities and social sciences. Many students from past “Internet and Society” FIGs have chosen majors in journalism, communication arts, economics, and computer sciences.

All three courses on this FIG count toward the UW’s Digital Studies Certificate. For this achievement, students complete 16 credits that include one core course, four topical courses, and a one-credit capstone experience. Library Information Studies 201 is a core course; Communication Arts 346 and Library Information Studies 301 are topical courses.

Jerusalem has been an object of desire and longing for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is the site of the Jewish Temples, of Jesus’s Tomb, the Dome of the Rock, and the Mosque Al-Aqsa. For thousands of years, the holiness and the beauty of Jerusalem have inspired artists and visionaries, while the desire to possess the city and the holy places has caused hostilities, conflicts, and wars—which are by no means over.

Starting with Abraham, the forefather of the three religions, the main seminar in this FIG, Jewish Studies 231: “Jerusalem: Holy City of Conflict and Desire,” will examine the religious factors and the political interests demonstrated in the Holy Scriptures of the three religions, in historical events such as the Crusades, as well as in the poetry and the myths that have shaped the unique ethos of Jerusalem. We will study the historical, sociological, and psychological reasons for the emergence of the modern Zionist movement in Europe that resulted in the return to the Land and in the establishment of the Jewish State–historical processes that reconfigured the position of Jerusalem in the consciousness of the world. Our investigation of the ways in which the European-based empires shaped the political-ethnic-national realities of the Middle East will provide the necessary information to understand the current conflicts over Jerusalem and the Land of Israel/Palestine and to the comprehension of the current situation in the Middle East at large. The study of the ethical, theological, and national components of the historical narrative of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel will illuminate the roots of the violence and enmity that preclude peace in this crucial part of the world.

We will:

watch films about the history of the Jerusalem and the Land of Israel;

discuss the current events in the Middle East;

attend cultural events associated with the Middle East and sample Middle Eastern food;

attend guest lectures by eminent scholars of Israel and the Middle East; and

take a field trip to a synagogue, a church, and an Islamic Center.

English 100: “Introduction to College Composition” — This class treats writing as both an act of inquiry and communication, and it offers opportunities to identify, develop, and express concepts; engage in conversations with the ideas of others; and critique and construct arguments through original research.

Political Science 140: “Introduction to International Relations” — This class explores past and present patterns of political, social, and technological change in terms of their contemporary and future implications for international relations.

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In this FIG we will examine the historical, social, political, economic, and cultural experiences and conditions of Latinx people, the second largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States. The term Latinx is increasingly used by scholars to designate the complex political, cultural and gender experiences of this growing population in the United States.

In the main FIG seminar, the emphasis will be on the experiences of Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans—the three largest U.S. Latinx ethnic groups. However, across the three courses in this FIG, considerable attention will be given to other Latinx ethnic groups that are fast becoming a force in contemporary U.S. society. Although they share many things in common, Latinxs have divergent experiences in the United States due to regional and/or national differences. We will analyze and discuss their historic modes of incorporation into American society, along with their continuing migration patterns, their experiences of racialization, and their current demographic and socio-economic condition. We will use an historical and comparative sociological perspective throughout the course to help explain contrasting experiences.

This class will include discussions, short writing assignments, videos and non-classroom projects like theater performances, concerts and engagements with local organizations. It is designed for students interested in thoughtful engagement via discussion and an exchange of ideas. It is also ideal for students who want to earn a certificate in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, as all three classes will count toward the 15-credit requirement.

Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies 268: “The U.S. and Latin America from the Colonial Era to the Present: A Critical Survey” — A critical examination of U.S.-Latin American relations from the colonial era to the present, tracing the emergence and evolution of the United States as a hemispheric and global power and its political and economic impact on Latin America. Primary attention will focus on U.S. relations with Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, but other Latin American countries will figure prominently during certain episodes.

Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies 201: “Introduction to Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies” — Introduces you to various interdisciplinary and transnational literatures on the study of Chicana/os and Latina/os in the United States. Offers a survey of scholarly literature, paradigms, theories, and debates within the field pertaining to the historical, economic, cultural, and sociopolitical dimensions of the experience of people of Latin American descent in what is now the United States. Themes will include migration, labor, civil rights, community development, education, gender and more.

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Anthropology 120: “The Life of Primates,” will provide an introduction to the lives of our primate relatives. We will explore the diversity and distribution of the nonhuman primates, examining various aspects of their behavior, ecology, and physiology.
Primates are intensely social species. We will study an array of behavioral adaptations that allow primates to live in groups, form and maintain social relationships, communicate with one another, and maximize their survival and reproductive success.

Zoology 101: “Animal Biology” — This class will provide an introduction to general biological principles. Topics include: evolution, ecology, animal behavior, cell structure and function, genetics and molecular genetics, and the physiology of a variety of organ systems emphasizing function in humans.

In this FIG, we will study the rise and widespread adoption of the internet and ask how it provoked writers, filmmakers, and artists to imagine new ways of living that a digitally connected world could make possible. We will examine three phases in the history of the internet, beginning with its emergence 1980s, its popularization in the 1990s, and the dystopian fears and utopian desires this new technology activated. We will then turn to the new social and collaborative uses of the internet—the so-called Web 2.0—in the 2000s and the transformation of the passive user into active content creator. We will conclude the class by reflecting on the total integration of the internet into our daily lives.

Over the semester, we will examine this cultural history by studying literature and film about the internet as well as by asking how the internet changed the production and consumption of literature and film, made new artistic forms possible, and transformed how we imagine ourselves, culturally, politically, and aesthetically. We will also be attuned to questions of identity and community. For example, how does the internet preserve or transform gendered and racial habits of thought? How does the internet reproduce or challenge the neoliberal, technocapitalist world that has made it essential to our lives? As we grapple with these concerns and questions, we will also incorporate insights from the linked classes in this FIG.

Computer Sciences 200: ”Programming I” — Learn the process of incrementally developing small (200 to 500 lines) programs along with the fundamental Computer Science topics. These topics include: problem abstraction and decomposition, the edit-compile-run cycle, using variables of primitive and more complex data types, conditional and loop-based flow control, basic testing and debugging techniques, how to define and call functions (methods), and IO processing techniques. Also teaches and reinforces good programming practices including the use of a consistent style, and meaningful documentation.

Sociology 170: “Population Problems” — This sociology class draws on materials and perspectives from the related fields of demography (the statistical study of populations) and epidemiology (the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease states in populations). We will examine how certain social phenomena—particularly structural inequality—influence and are reproduced by population change both globally and in the contemporary United States. Throughout the class, we will focus on issues that feature in current social science and public policy debates, including population aging, fertility and reproduction, immigration, and social inequalities. We will pay special attention to disparities by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

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The main seminar in this FIG, Interdisciplinary Letters & Science 101: “Major Transitions in Evolution,” will introduce you to evolutionary biology and its role in synthesizing knowledge across biology and beyond.

We will do this through interactive lectures and readings that cover different aspects of evolutionary theory. Discussions will focus on clarifying how evolution can be understood to serve as an organizing principle in all of biology. Once you are feeling comfortable with the core concepts of evolution, we will put that knowledge to work in making sense of certain amazing transitions that occurred in the history of life on Earth. This will include the transition from non-life to life (a chemical problem) through some of the key transitions in the relatively recent history of the human lineage (an anthropological issue).

The goal is to equip you with an understanding of what a good evolutionary narrative looks like. As a final project, groups of students will conduct literature research on a group of organisms and then prepare a presentation summarizing the group’s evolutionary history. Assessment will be based on quizzes, short writing assignments, a presentation, and contributions to in-class discussions and debates.

Anthropology 104: “Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity” — Provides a comparative cross-cultural consideration of social organization, economics, politics, language, religion, ecology, gender, and cultural change. These topics will help provide context for our analysis of the American criminal justice system and our literatures about it.

Are you interested in kinesiology? The central theme of this FIG is the definition and measurement of physical activity behavior. This is an important issue in the field of kinesiology because of the challenges involved with exercise prescription. Additionally, accurate and consistent measurements of physical activity behavior are needed to examine potential dose-response relationships between physical activity and health outcomes. The main FIG seminar, Kinesiology 112, will provide an opportunity for you to use numbers, equations, and kinesiology-related definitions to address the exercise measurement challenge. Throughout the semester, we will examine the definition of and recommendations for physical activity provided by the American College of Sports Medicine to various populations. As a result of this FIG, you will be able to:

English 100: “Introduction to College Composition” — Focuses on development of rhetorical reading, listening, and writing abilities; provides practice in written and spoken communication (emphasis on writing); develops information literacy; provides a foundation for a variety of college course work and post-college careers.

Kinesiology 300: “Practicum in Kinesiology” — This one-credit class will provide a hands-on opportunity for you to promote, measure, and define physical activity across clients with diverse abilities.

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Does your life have any meaning? If so, why? In the main seminar in this FIG we will explore these and related questions, such as: is God required to give meaning to life? What is the relationship between living a happy life, a virtuous life, and a meaningful life? Does death undermine life’s meaning, or is our mortality essential for life to have any meaning at all? Is a meaningful life within everyone’s reach, or are some people doomed to live a meaningless life? Does engaging in meaningful activities always enhance our well-being, or are we sometimes faced with a choice between being better off and living a more meaningful life? The linked classes in this FIG will enhance our analysis of these questions.

Geoscience 110: “Evolution and Extinction” — Contemporary views of the origin and diversification of life; crises in the history of life, with emphasis on controversies regarding mass extinctions, particularly at the close of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.

Comparative Literature 203: “Calling Planet Earth: Our Planetary Environment” — This class will explore planet Earth as both a global ecosystem in which nature and technologies are entangled and a cosmological entity belonging to our solar system. Planetary Humanities will enable you to think together these two aspects of Earth:

the global feature that is at the core of crucial phenomena like climate change, financial crisis, and transnational migrations; and

the cosmological aspect that has been at play since the Copernican revolution and its displacement of the Earth from the center of the cosmos.

Concerns over immigration have become a mainstay of American politics and this FIG draws on historical examples and circumstances as recounted in scholarly writings, memoirs, oral histories, and films to help make sense of our current immigration debates. The goal is to understand the many factors propelling people to move to the United States and how the federal government has sought to regulate that movement. We will explore historic trends of European, Asian, and Latinx immigration to understand the needs of immigrants, the needs of the host country, and the structural forces and world events that push people to leave their homelands. We will examine U.S. immigration regulation, restriction, and exclusion to understand the creation new identity categories such as immigrants, citizens, U.S. nationals, refugees, and the undocumented, and how these categories are used not just to coordinate and classify border crossings into the United States, but also to determine social relations in U.S. society.

Through the study of these immigration histories, you will be encouraged to engage thoughtfully with the competing values that shape our nation and inform our understanding of who gets to be included in the notion of an American. To this end, we will also incorporate insights from the linked classes.

English 100: “Introduction to College Composition” — You will build rhetorical awareness in both written and oral communication. Assignments engage questions of audience, purpose, genre, discourse conventions, and research methods. You use narrative strategies to explore abstract concepts; summarize and synthesize information; engage in conversations with the ideas of others; and construct arguments through original research. The class views writing as an act of inquiry, a means of communication, and a process.

Political Science 140: “Introduction to International Relations” — Covers the major issues in international relations since the end of World War II including: the causes of war; civil wars and ethnic conflict; economic development; international trade; globalization and the environment; the UN, the IMF, World Bank, WTO, and other international organizations; and international law and human rights.

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Exploring a society’s conceptions of the monstrous and the supernatural is one important and fun way to gain cultural insight. Since medieval times, monsters and other supernatural creatures have had an important place in the Japanese world view as well as its literature and art. Today, we see that heritage most clearly in film, anime (animation), and manga (comic books), but it appears in other media as well. In this seminar, we will look at such modern manifestations in light of those from earlier times and try to understand why Japan has this wealth of monsters and how it relates to other aspects of Japanese culture and how it has affected other parts of the world. Activities will include reading and viewing selected works from pre-modern and contemporary “high” and popular culture.

History 104: “Introduction to East Asian History: Japan” — Survey of major cultural, social, political and economic developments in Japanese history from ancient to recent times.

What is a national identity in the context of the fluid globalized world in which we live? How are identities affected by big migratory waves within the same country and, more importantly, from one country or continent to another? The Italian case is one of the many in the so-called Western world that can help us to monitor the possible answers to these questions. Through readings and discussions, we will follow the history of Italy from the Risorgimento (the revolutionary upheaval that led to the unification of the country in 1860) through the two World Wars, and Fascism up to the present time.

One of the aims of the main FIG seminar is to analyze the rhetoric used in different periods to understand issues of national identity according to the following historical phases: struggle for the unification of Italy; colonial campaigns; Fascism; and migration from and to Italy in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Through this study of the Italian case, you will become more knowledgeable and aware of the historical development of a European country that was central in the nineteenth century for its struggle to unify, and crucial to the history of the Western countries for the infamous Fascist regime. By studying the Italian case especially through the concerns raised by colonialist politics and migration issues, you will be able to relate not only to what happened and is happening in one major country in Europe, with possible references to the situations in France and Germany, but also to similar issues in the United States (the Italian migration to the United States is a good example). The goal is to help you develop and strengthen their knowledge of a different culture and history as it intersects with your own.

Political Science 140: “Introduction to International Relations” — This class covers the major issues in international relations since the end of World War II including: the causes of war; civil wars and ethnic conflict; economic development; international trade; exchange rates and international monetary relations; international capital flows and financial crises; foreign direct investment; globalization and the environment; international organizations like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization; and international law and human rights. The focus is on states’ relations with each other and the factors determining the nature and outcomes of these international interactions. The course seeks to develop analytical tools for thinking about important questions in world politics regardless of the countries or issues involved, to examine international affairs in a systematic way.

Economics 101: “Principles of Microeconomics” — This course covers economic problems of individuals, firms and industries with emphasis on value, price, and distribution of income.

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This FIG will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining current issues in health care and the delivery of care in various settings to diverse populations. Nursing 105: “Health Care Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach” will focus on factors affecting health and the value placed on health, the delivery of health care in different settings, and the roles of various professionals in the healthcare system.

Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education 300: “Individuals with Disabilities” — This class is designed to introduce you to the history, etiology, and characteristics of specific categories of disability. It incorporates hands-on learning as you develop your own service-learning projects directly related to working with persons with disabilities.

Educational Psychology 320: “Human Development in Infancy and Childhood” — Normative processes and individual differences in physical, mental, social and emotional development and behavior from infancy through late childhood.

This FIG is designed for students considering an application to the Nursing Program in the School of Nursing; courses in this FIG have been carefully selected to fulfill requirements for the Nursing Program. Acceptance into the School of Nursing is dependent on a number of factors including completion of specific courses and meeting minimum grade-point average requirements. If you are interested in this academic path, please meet with an advisor from the School of Nursing to get full information.

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This FIG will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining current issues in health care and the delivery of care in various settings to diverse populations. Nursing 105: “Health Care Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach” will focus on factors affecting health and the value placed on health, the delivery of health care in different settings, and the roles of various professionals in the healthcare system.

History of Science 212: “Bodies, Diseases, and Healers: An Introduction to the History of Medicine” — A survey of different conceptions of how the body as a site of sickness has been understood from Antiquity to contemporary medicine. Includes consideration of the origins and evolution of public health, the changing social role of healers, and the emergence of the modern "standardized" body in health and illness.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — This class examines social structures that shape and are shaped by race, ethnicity, racism, and racial/ethnic inequalities. You will learn to understand race and ethnicity as social constructs, and learn how race and ethnicity exist within social structures and institutions.

This FIG is designed for students considering an application to the Nursing Program in the School of Nursing; courses in this FIG have been carefully selected to fulfill requirements for the Nursing Program. Acceptance into the School of Nursing is dependent on a number of factors including completion of specific courses and meeting minimum grade-point average requirements. If you are interested in this academic path, please meet with an advisor from the School of Nursing to get full information.

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This FIG will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining current issues in health care and the delivery of care in various settings to diverse populations. Nursing 105: “Health Care Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach” will focus on factors affecting health and the value placed on health, the delivery of health care in different settings, and the roles of various professionals in the healthcare system.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — This class examines social structures that shape and are shaped by race, ethnicity, racism, and racial/ethnic inequalities. You will learn to understand race and ethnicity as social constructs, and learn how race and ethnicity exist within social structures and institutions.

Gender and Women’s Studies 103: “Women and Their Bodies in Health and Disease” — Information on physiological processes and phenomena relating to health (for example, menstruation, pregnancy) and ill health (for example, cancer, maternal mortality, depression). Attention to how bodies are located in social contexts that influence health and illness. Explorations of how multiple kinds of social inequalities shape health and health disparities. Information on roles that female-assigned and women-identified people play as health-care consumers, activists, and practitioners.

This FIG is designed for students considering an application to the Nursing Program in the School of Nursing; courses in this FIG have been carefully selected to fulfill requirements for the Nursing Program. Acceptance into the School of Nursing is dependent on a number of factors including completion of specific courses and meeting minimum grade-point average requirements. If you are interested in this academic path, please meet with an advisor from the School of Nursing to get full information.

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This FIG will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining current issues in health care and the delivery of care in various settings to diverse populations. Nursing 105: “Health Care Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach” will focus on factors affecting health and the value placed on health, the delivery of health care in different settings, and the roles of various professionals in the healthcare system.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — This class examines social structures that shape and are shaped by race, ethnicity, racism, and racial/ethnic inequalities. You will learn to understand race and ethnicity as social constructs, and learn how race and ethnicity exist within social structures and institutions.

Religious Studies 102: “Religion in Sickness and Health” — This is an excellent companion course for students interested in the health sciences. Questions covered in this course include: What is religion? Sickness? Health? How can we understand their relationships? How do religious peoples understand and live in sickness and health? How does physical well-being connect to spiritual well-being? How does medicine connect to meaning-making? How does looking at religion in sickness and health provide insight into its roles in different cultures and contexts? From Southeast Asia to the Caribbean, Africa, and the Mediterranean, we’ll approach these questions using perspectives from anthropology, history, sociology, legal studies, and the medical sciences, among others. And we’ll come home to Wisconsin and the United States to examine these questions as well.

This FIG is designed for students considering an application to the Nursing Program in the School of Nursing; courses in this FIG have been carefully selected to fulfill requirements for the Nursing Program. Acceptance into the School of Nursing is dependent on a number of factors including completion of specific courses and meeting minimum grade-point average requirements. If you are interested in this academic path, please meet with an advisor from the School of Nursing to get full information.

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This FIG will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining current issues in health care and the delivery of care in various settings to diverse populations. Nursing 105: “Health Care Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach” will focus on factors affecting health and the value placed on health, the delivery of health care in different settings, and the roles of various professionals in the healthcare system.

Nutritional Sciences 203: “Introduction to Global Health” — Introduces you to global health concepts through multidisciplinary speakers dedicated to improving health through their unique training. It targets students with an interest in public health and those who wish to learn how their field impacts their global issues.

This FIG is designed for students considering an application to the Nursing Program in the School of Nursing; courses in this FIG have been carefully selected to fulfill requirements for the Nursing Program. Acceptance into the School of Nursing is dependent on a number of factors including completion of specific courses and meeting minimum grade-point average requirements. If you are interested in this academic path, please meet with an advisor from the School of Nursing to get full information.

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This FIG connects the science of modern astronomy with the history of scientific thought. We will use practical, interactive, astronomical experiences to explore how and why our modern understanding of the universe as a whole, and our place within it—our “world view”—takes its modern form. Where will you find the moon tomorrow? How do you measure the size of the Earth with a cell phone? What does a stellar spectrum really look like in the telescope? The skies of both night and day will be important parts of our classroom, and each student will emerge from the experience with an enhanced awareness and feel for the celestial world. The planetarium and observatories on campus will be parts of our FIG. In addition to the regular class time, you will be required to participate in some out-of-class activities, both day and night, scheduled as weather permits.

You will achieve a deep understanding and appreciation of the modern science that shapes our world today by exploring the evolution of historical worldviews, and the experiences, observations, and theories on which they are founded. In the main FIG seminar, Interdisciplinary Courses (L&S) 107: “How Astronomy Shapes our Worldview,” you will also use hands-on, interactive astronomical observations, laboratory demonstrations, and guided activities to complement and contextualize what you are learning in the two linked classes. Together, these classes will help us understand the role observation and scientific discovery play in shaping the way we see ourselves and our place in the cosmos.

History of Science 201: “The Origins of Scientific Thought” — Emergence of scientific method and scientific modes of thought out of ancient philosophical and religious traditions; the impact of ancient science on medieval Christendom; the origins and development of the Copernican-Newtonian world view.

Astronomy 103: “The Evolving Universe” — This class is designed to open a window for you to the cosmos, provoke your imagination, and address some fundamental and tantalizing questions: When did the Universe begin? Do black holes really exist? What makes stars shine? Do stars ever die? What is at the edge of the universe? Is there an edge? Why are the most distant objects in the universe so different from objects nearby? How do we know they are different? How do we know they are far away? An important fact is that astronomers have definitive answers to only some of these questions. However, the observable universe is a time machine—our only one—and in this class we will travel from the solar system to the event horizon, which is the edge of the observable universe. In so doing, we will venture back to the beginning of time. We will also try to understand our place in the universe, and how it is that we came to be made of star-matter, and why our galactic home is called the Milky Way.

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Can you imagine a world in which doctors knew nothing about blood circulation or microbes, in which magic and medicine were often combined, in which surgery was performed without anesthetics? Such was life in ancient Greece and Rome. And yet, many of the medical discoveries and practices of the Greeks and Romans were of fundamental importance in the development of Western medicine, and laid the foundation for some of the most basic tenets of modern medicine.

The purpose of this class is to give an account of the various aspects of the healing profession in antiquity, focusing in particular on the ways in which it differed from or anticipated medical practices nowadays. The main seminar in this FIG, Classics 373: “Ancient Medicine,” will explore these issues while the other courses will deepen your understanding of the overall topic.

Chemistry 109: “Advanced General Chemistry” — A modern introduction to chemical principles that draws on current research themes. For students with good chemistry and mathematics background preparation who desire a one-semester coverage of general chemistry. Recommended for students intending majors in chemistry or allied fields.

Religious Studies 102: “Religion in Sickness and Health” — This is an excellent companion course for students interested in the health sciences. Questions covered in this course include: What is religion? Sickness? Health? How can we understand their relationships? How do religious peoples understand and live in sickness and health? How does physical well-being connect to spiritual well-being? How does medicine connect to meaning-making? How does looking at religion in sickness and health provide insight into its roles in different cultures and contexts? From Southeast Asia to the Caribbean, Africa, and the Mediterranean, we’ll approach these questions using perspectives from anthropology, history, sociology, legal studies, and the medical sciences, among others. And we’ll come home to Wisconsin and the United States to examine these questions as well.

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Are you considering a possible career in pharmacy? Would you like to learn more about contemporary pharmacy practice and postgraduate opportunities? In Pharmacy 125: “Exploring Pharmacy I” we will consider:

Class time will include regular discussion and integration of the linked classes’ content as well as use of case studies, guest instructors, readings, videos, and reflective assignments. First-year pharmacy students will serve as FIG mentors in the class. The class will be reflective and interactive in nature to develop communication, critical/analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Students will work on assignments and projects both individually and in small groups and will present information to the larger class to enhance teamwork and communication skills.

Are you considering a possible career in pharmacy? Would you like to learn more about contemporary pharmacy practice and postgraduate opportunities? In Pharmacy 125: “Exploring Pharmacy I” we will consider:

Class time will include regular discussion and integration of the linked classes’ content as well as use of case studies, guest instructors, readings, videos, and reflective assignments. First-year pharmacy students will serve as FIG mentors in the class. The class will be reflective and interactive in nature to develop communication, critical/analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Students will work on assignments and projects both individually and in small groups and will present information to the larger class to enhance teamwork and communication skills.

Chemistry 109: “Advanced General Chemistry” — A modern introduction to chemical principles that draws on current research themes. For students with good chemistry and mathematics background preparation who desire a one-semester coverage of general chemistry. Recommended for students intending majors in chemistry or allied fields. Lecture, lab, and discussion.

For many years, physiologists have used exercise as a way of studying the limits of human performance. An athlete running as fast as a human is capable of running, or lifting as heavy a weight as she can lift is an excellent way of observing the limits of performance. By studying physiological processes when they are being pushed to their limits, we can learn a lot about these processes—the regulation of the processes, the constraints that they operate under, and how processes may adapt to improve performance.

In Kinesiology 115: “The Physiology of Human Performance,” we will be exploring the factors that influence human performance in the context of exercise or performing other physical work. We will examine a number of case studies where the goal will be to determine what the physiological factors are that are limiting performance. We will consider cases of athletic performance, other work conditions, age and developmental issues, as well as injury or other pathological conditions, among many other cases. We will also spend some class time in an Exercise Physiology laboratory where we will collect some data on subjects while they are exercising. We will then use these data to determine some of the underlying physiological processes that are at work during different types of exercise. The other two class in this FIG are well matched with this small seminar class and provide many opportunities to integrate material across different subject areas.

Chemistry 103: “General Chemistry I” — Provides an understanding the basic chemical reactions that underlie many physiological processes and allows us to connect these two areas. How are our muscles’ ability to perform work ultimately limited by the underlying chemical reactions in the muscle?

Kinesiology 119: “Introduction to Kinesiology” — Allows us to place the physiology that we are exploring into the larger context of the field of kinesiology. How do people use the physiological responses to exercise to help understand the role of exercise and movement in health and disease? Given the course subject matter that we will explore, as well as the paired courses, this FIG is an excellent learning opportunity for students who:

may want to explore a major in kinesiology;

may be interested in medical school;

have plans to study athletic training, physical/occupational therapy, or other allied health professions;

are interested in biology; or

have a general interest in learning more about exercise and/or physiology.

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The main seminar in this FIG, Horticulture 350: “Plants and Human Well-being” (and its discussion section Horticulture 375), focuses on various aspects of well-being associated with plants, plant materials, landscapes, and plant products, including aesthetics, food, medicine, fiber, art, psychoactive substances, and stimulants. This class includes lectures, discussions, hands-on demonstrations, and short field trips and will allow students to build a sense of community while also helping integrate content from the other classes in the FIG. This topic will likely appeal to students interested in horticulture, biology and food systems, medicine and public health, human cultural diversity, and geography.

This FIG explores the complex relationship between race, ethnicity, and inequality in American public education. The core seminar, Educational Policy Studies 200: “Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality in American Education,” examines schools as sites where racial/ethnic inequality is produced, reproduced, and resisted through institutional structures and the everyday practices of teachers, students, parents, and community members. Although race and ethnicity will be the primary focus of the course, you will have opportunities to explore the ways race and ethnicity intersect with other identities (e.g., gender, social class, sexual orientation, etc.). A central focus will be on issues of policy and practice in K–12 education in the United States.

As part of this course, you will have the opportunity to:

view and discuss films on racial inequalities in American education;

learn more about local educational issues through readings and guest speakers;

reflect on your own educational experiences and discuss how they relate to the class themes and readings.

You will take other classes that complement our analysis and provide us with an opportunity to integrate learning across multiple domains.

English 100: “Introduction to College Composition” — This class focuses on the development of rhetorical reading, listening, research, and writing abilities that will be crucial to success in this FIG. The class will also provide practice in written and spoken communication and information literacy that will be a foundation for university course work and post-college careers.

Sociology 134: “Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the United States” — This class provides a sociological approach to race and ethnicity in which we consider race and ethnicity as social constructs that permeate social life, are entrenched in social structures and institutions, and shift over time and space. We will examine the particular historical and contemporary ways in which race and ethnicity are made meaningful in the United States.

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Tropical rainforests and coral reefs inspire awe in all of us, with their serene beauty and astounding biodiversity. They also happen to be two of the most important ecosystems on Earth, housing most of the world’s species and providing valuable ecosystem services.

In Botany 265: “Rainforests and Coral Reefs,” you’ll explore these incredible natural communities and learn why they are important to human welfare. You’ll learn about their vulnerability to climate change and other human impacts, and examine what can be done to protect them. This course takes a “dive deep” into the foundations of both marine biology and terrestrial ecology.

One of the most exciting parts of this course is that you will develop your own field research project and have a chance to carry it out during an optional 10-day, winter-break field trip to Belize in Central America! There, we will hike in lush rainforests and snorkel on the second-largest coral reef in the world.

This class is taught in a blended format, and will give you resumé-building experience with instructional technology and multimedia, as well as real scientific research. The linked chemistry class in this FIG will help you understand the physical, chemical, and biological processes that make rainforests and coral reefs function. Spanish language will help you during our trip to Central America.

This FIG will examine the power of the media in all its manifestations in shaping public opinion about religion, religious groups, and a range of issues frequently presented through a religious lens. We will identify the major themes in media depictions of religious groups and evaluate their consequences. Through this process, students will learn criteria for evaluating news stories about religion and gauging their influence. As a class, we will practice creating news stories of our own about religion in Madison. Overall, this FIG will enable students to think critically about media representation and to practice written and to practice the skills they learn through “real-world“ engagement with our community. The other classes in this FIG will compliment and deepen students’ understanding of the relationship between religion, culture, and mass communication.

Journalism and Mass Communication 201: “Introduction to Mass Communication” — Mediated communication shapes every aspect of our lives, from interpersonal relationships to political economy. It influences how we choose our leaders, how we learn about ideas and decide what to purchase, and how we perceive other members of society. This class is about exploring conceptual tools for understanding how and why our society’s mediated communications work the way they do. It is an introduction to the work of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC, sometimes called the J-School), a diverse department with scholars in media effects, political communication, history, neuroscience, sociology, and more. We will touch these subjects during the class, often with the help of guest lectures by SJMC faculty.

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Russia occupies an important role on the international stage, and attaining a nuanced understanding of its past and present is critical to America’s future. This FIG will focus on Russia’s role in international politics and world affairs. It will provide you with the tools to investigate the connection between the Russian past and the Russian present, from both a humanities and a social-science perspective. You will be introduced to the broad field of International Relations and begin studying Russian language and culture, which will provide you with an important introduction to Russian area studies.

History 200: “Russia and America in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries” will look at Russian and American engagement from the late nineteenth century through the present. It will focus on diplomatic relations, cultural relations, economic relations, and other forms of Russian and American engagement. Themes will include:

Americans in the Bolshevik Revolution;

Henry Ford in Russia;

Soviet filmmakers in America;

America’s response to the Stalinist terror;

the Soviet portrayal of America’s “race problem”;

Cold War politics and culture;

détente; and

American responses to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

You will look at some of the historical reasons for anti-American sentiment in Russia and examine claims that we are now in the midst of a new Cold War. You will read memoirs, speeches, political position papers, and other (English-language and translated) primary sources. You will also look at key primary sources on the UW–Madison campus, including fascinating archival documents about American-Russian economic and cultural relations in the Wisconsin State Historical Society archive.

Political Science 140: “Introduction to International Relations” — Explore past and present patterns of political, social and technological change in terms of their contemporary and future implications for international relations.

We will be very interested in two things: how to do justice to the past by looking at Shakespeare’s plays in the context of their own time; and—through watching contemporary movie versions of Shakespeare’s plays—how to think about older texts and the ways they might be relevant to our understandings of our own situations today. We will consider notions of trans-historicism and a-historicism, discussing, for example, whether a concept such as “love” is a universal constant or whether its meanings have shifted across time. We will consider notions of forced marriage; sexuality and gender relations; familial and political hierarchy; and, more broadly (particularly by looking at movie adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays in their historical moment) the relationship between culture and political commentary and political change.

Folklore 100: “Introduction to Folklore” — This class surveys folklore in the United States and around the world, with a comparative emphasis on ways in which individuals and groups use beliefs, songs, stories, sayings, dances, festivals, and artifacts to address issues of identity, authenticity, and authority, in complex societies.

History 119: “Europe and the World, 1400–1815” — This class is an introduction to the cultural, intellectual, social, political, and economic changes in Europe between 1400 and 1815. We shall explore changes in the understanding of the human person—both body and mind—and of the universe; the repercussions of a global economy for different groups in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia; the articulation of new forms of political power and economic organization; and the emergence of the modern sense of self.

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A full description of this FIG will be included here.

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Engineers are in a unique position to make a difference in combating some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Students in this FIG will delve into the opportunities and complexities in sustainability and engineering through the design of a team product. The main seminar in this FIG, Interdisciplinary Courses (Engineering) 170: “Design Practicum,” will provide an introduction to design via the invention, fabrication, and testing of a device that solves a problem proposed by a real-world client. Lectures address information retrieval techniques, specification writing, methods for enhancing creativity, analysis techniques, scheduling, selection methodologies, cost estimating, sustainability in design, shop safety, fabrication equipment and techniques, and oral and written communication. The other classes in the FIG will deepen our understanding of these issues.

Environmental Studies 112: “Environmental Studies: The Social Perspective” — Emphasizes the importance of social factors in the generation and resolution of complex environmental problems with an interdisciplinary perspective. It includes a comparison of specific communities in the more and less developed areas of the world.

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In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) published Our Common Future, chaired by Norwegian Gro Harlem Brundtland, and stated that sustainability “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” But what does that mean in practice?

In German, Nordic, Slavic 210: “Cultures of Sustainability: Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe,” we will examine questions of sustainability in northern, central, and eastern Europe in relation to the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profits. We will explore cultural, environmental, and economic histories of the region and its populations, natural as well as human. We will look at the debates raging in Sámi communities concerning mining the earth, examine Germany’s efforts to harness the power of wind to power its economy, and listen to Russian scientists who are trying to return regions of Siberia to the Ice Age in hopes of staving off climate change. In doing so, we will aim to contextualize what sustainability means for various stakeholders, from individuals to businesses to communities and countries. Along the way, we will learn what role we all play in understanding and engaging with the local and global effects of sustainability.

Environmental Studies 112: “Environmental Studies: The Social Perspective” — This class focuses on the importance of social factors in the generation and resolution of complex environmental problems with an interdisciplinary perspective. Comparison of specific communities in the more and less developed areas of the world helps frame the analysis.

Economics 101: “Principles of Microeconomics” — Economics is the study of the production, allocation and distribution of goods and services in a world where resources are scarce. In this class we will explore some basic concepts: the notion of scarcity and how it relates to opportunity cost; supply and demand; taxation and other government programs; externalities and public goods; production and cost theory; perfect competition, monopoly and other types of market structures; factor markets; and consumer theory.

General Business 110: “Personal and Professional Foundations in Business” — An introductory class for new business students covering the transition to college, academic exploration and planning, career development, self-assessment for personal development, leadership, and diversity and inclusion.

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Natural hazards affect societal infrastructure, the economy, and people’s lives. The prediction of extreme events and the need to increase societal resilience to these events has become a national priority in the aftermath of such events as Hurricanes Katrina, Matthew, Sandy, Rita and Harvey; the April 2011 Tornado Super outbreak; volcanic eruptions such as Mount St. Helens in 1980, as well as seasonal events such as wildfires. There is a clear societal need to better understand and mitigate the risks posed to the United States by these hazards.

The main seminar in this FIG, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 141: “Natural Hazards of Weather,” will discuss issues involving current global weather hazards: including prediction, and disaster resilience, resistance, and risk reduction. We will learn that weather forecasters must be able to convey the forecast and the probabilistic nature of the prediction in an effective manner. This requires that the public must not only understand the forecast but in many cases must be made to respond. From this class, you will learn key issues affecting hazardous weather occurrence in a changing climate, hazardous weather prediction, the science behind the dissemination of warnings, and societal response to weather hazards. In addition, you will learn the breadth of subject areas that you should master to pursue careers in the wide range of opportunities these problems present.

Environmental Studies 112: “Environmental Studies: The Social Perspective” — This class examines the importance of social factors in the generation and resolution of complex environmental problems with an interdisciplinary perspective. Comparison of specific communities in the more and less developed areas of the world.

Geoscience 140: “Natural Hazards and Disasters” — An exploration of the science behind natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Why, where, and when do these events occur, and why are some predictable but others are not? The class will also address hazard assessment, forecasting, and mitigation to lessen their impact on society.

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This FIG provides an interdisciplinary look at the changing ecological and cultural relationships between people, dogs, and wolves across the world over millennia. It is designed for students interested in ecology and human attitudes, behavior, and social norms relating to nature. This topic is a natural fit for integrated learning, and will include scholarship on human cognition, behavior, and cultural and social norms as they relate to the biology and ecology of three species that attract great interest and affection.

Environmental Studies 400: “Wolves, Dogs, and People” will include a service-learning component in the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve. You will have a chance to continue an ongoing program of data collection and interaction with Preserve managers. An enduring dilemma for Lakeshore Preserve managers is the combination of dogs being walked off-leash and coyote recolonization, plus the occasional concern of community members about the threat these predators sometimes pose to small pets. You will engage with the managers to understand and address the human perceptions and enforcement of rules for unleashed dogs. You and your classmates will report the results of your service-learning projects to the managers to build their sense of personal and professional responsibility towards their community and the natural environment around them.

Environmental Studies 260: “Introductory Ecology” — Introduction to human ecology across millions of years until the present. This class will extend your understanding of the fundamental ecology underlying human interactions with dogs and wolves in natural ecosystems. This class also provides the foundation for evolution, behavioral ecology, and ecosystem ecology with which to interpret advanced topics in these and future courses.

Geography 139: “Global Environmental Issues” — This class explores the global and local nature of environmental problems facing humanity, including climate change, food and energy scarcity, deforestation, biodiversity loss, environmental justice, and population growth. Through group and individual work, you will learn to analyze and address environmental problems on many scales. A key theme will be that what appear to be monolithic global environmental problems are actually many smaller, context-specific and place-dependent problems that when addressed with interdisciplinary and geographic perspectives can be understood and addressed at the scale of our lived lives.

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In the main seminar in this FIG, Literature in Translation 235: “The World of Sagas,” we will learn about the Norse people as they expanded through Europe and beyond. We will study their science and technology, environment, mythology, gender, economics, politics and more. This class approaches the Vikings along historical lines and uses both texts from medieval sources and archeological materials. We will explore:

the Norse technological advances in ship building and sword making;

the environmental impact they made on their surroundings;

the pre-Christian religion of early medieval Scandinavia and their conversion to Christianity;

what it meant to be a man and a woman in this society, which may surprise you;

the consolidation of the Scandinavian kingdoms;

Viking art, warfare, and more.

We will discover that as we learn about the medieval Scandinavians, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and the human condition. This FIG will appeal to students who are interested in learning about the present through the past and those with a specific interest in the Nordic countries (and perhaps topics like black metal music, Skyrim, or media shows like Thor and Vikings). The other classes in this FIG will enhance our examination of these topics. Enrollment in an optional first-semester Norwegian or Swedish class will enhance your understanding of the cultures of the region and is highly recommended.

Environmental Studies 260: “Introductory Ecology” — Introduction to human ecology across millions of years until the present. This class will extend your understanding of the fundamental ecology underlying human interactions with dogs and wolves in natural ecosystems. This course also provides the foundation for evolution, behavioral ecology, and ecosystem ecology with which to interpret advanced topics in these and future courses.

German Nordic and Slavic 200: “Folklore of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe” — Whether it be rousing bedtime tales of unlikely heroes and magic helpers, jaunty tunes played on the fiddle, age-old recipes for preserving foods or curing ailments, mysterious rituals for maintaining luck, celebrating a wedding, or saying goodbye to a loved one, pieces of folklore are ancient and enduring elements of daily life throughout the world. In the diverse cultures of Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, folklore holds particular significance not only as enduring parts of culture, but also as emblems of national identity, political idealism, and historical change. This introductory course surveys a range of past and present genres of folklore from the various cultures that make up the areas of expertise of the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic. We will look at examples of primary materials as well as the theories that have developed to explain them, and we will look at the complex and sometimes surprising ways in which “Old World” traditions have become transplanted and adapted in North America. Students will learn techniques of fieldwork and analysis and examine a range of different traditions from throughout the wide array of cultures found in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, both among longstanding communities and among populations that have migrated to the region in more recent eras.

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In Comparative Literature 203: “Yoga in Poetry and Pose,” we will study yoga as it is taught and represented in the classic literary texts of several South Asian Cultures. In discussing poems and songs from traditions as diverse as Tibetan Buddhism, Kashmiri Shaivism, and Hindu Epic, we will examine how these expressions of yoga have impacted the lives of practitioners in different cultures and how they relate to yoga as it continues to be practiced in various forms today. Our readings will also look into connections between yoga and spiritual practices such as Sufi mysticism and Zen meditation. Students also will have the opportunity to practice the physical postures and breathing techniques of yoga each week during our Friday morning yoga practice sessions. The other classes in this FIG will enhance our understanding of these topics.

Religious Studies 102: “Exploring Religion in Sickness and in Health” — An introduction to the study of religion through the lens of health and health through the lens of religion employing approaches from the humanities and social sciences in conversation with health-related disciplines. It asks questions such as: How do religious peoples understand and live in sickness and health? How do people connect physical well-being to spiritual well-being? Medicine to meaning-making? How does looking at religion in sickness and health provide insight into its roles in a variety of cultures and contexts, globally and locally? How do health and religion connect particularly in situations of social marginalization and immigration? How does religion impact understandings of health and sickness beyond the borders of specific religious communities?

Nutritional Sciences 203: “Introduction to Global Health” — The class will be divided into four loosely intertwined sections including agriculture and health, nutrition and health, the burden and origins of disease, and policy as it relates to education, natural disasters and systems. You will:

appreciate links between agriculture, food, nutrition and health, including how agricultural technologies contribute to feeding and nourishing the world’s population;

understand how public health principles are applied to global health;

understand the impacts of agricultural products on nutrition through availability, quality, and prevention;

explain strategies to promote health and prevent disease, focusing on nutrition and strategies from multiple disciplines;

be introduced to diseases of major global impact and metrics used to determine burdens of disease;

appreciate the importance of ecology and the changing environment on issues related to epidemiology and management of disease; and

understand career opportunities that could contribute to improved global health.

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This exciting and interactive FIG explores the concept of “youth” as a socially constructed and political category. Centered on scholarly literature and current events, Educational Policy 210: “Youth, Education, and Society” will help you think about how youth are framed in social and educational contexts and how forces such as race, class, gender, and sexuality may impact that framing. This class explores how youth are shaped by institutions such as the family, the criminal justice system, the health care system, community-based programs, and how they inform their educational and social trajectories. This class will challenge you to reflect on your own position in society, your educational experiences, and how you learn about the experiences of others. You will:

reflect on your own educational journeys as a young person, and your relationships to social institutions;

engage in lively discussions with peers and guest speakers;

draw upon a variety of historical and contemporary ethnographic texts, film, television, and music to explore the lived realities of youth who are situated within diverse racial, cultural, gendered, and classed contexts;

engage with and learn from local youth workers;

think critically about political and social events that impact the lives of youth as it relates to the current political moment (youth-led social movements, youth uprisings, campus conflict/climate, etc.).

Afro-American Studies 154: “Hip-Hop and Contemporary American Society” — This class focuses on the aesthetic and political evolution of hip-hop culture and its relationship to contemporary social issues.

English 100: “Introduction to College Composition” — This class treats writing as both an act of inquiry and communication, and it offers opportunities to identify, develop, and express concepts; engage in conversations with the ideas of others; and critique and construct arguments through original research. These are essential skills and will help students effectively express and understand the ideas introduced in this FIG.

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This FIG introduces students to the study of contemporary Africa through a focus on Senegalese HipHop youth culture, and language. It is designed for students interested in youth culture, international studies, and issues of development, democracy, globalization, and social justice. It is also geared to those who enjoy learning about overseas cultures, especially those interested in doing research or volunteer work in Africa. This FIG provides students with 12 credits towards the 15 credits needed for a certificate in African Studies.

The main seminar, African Cultural Studies 220: “HipHop, Youth Culture, and Politics in Senegal,” explores how African-American HipHop culture is adopted and adapted by youth in Africa to create a global “cultural citizenship” and fight for social justice and democracy in their local context. Beginning with the history, culture, and politics of HipHop in the United States, this course compares and contrasts HipHop’s development in Senegal. You will develop a familiarity with youth culture and politics in Senegal and study the ongoing process of cross-cultural flows and hybridity. The class will engage debates concerning globalization and democracy, international political economy, culture industries and transnational cultural studies. The other two classes of the FIG will enhance your understanding of these topics by providing a broad introduction to the history and geography of Africa and to one of the main languages spoken in West Africa.

History 277: “Africa: An Introductory Survey” — This class is a multidisciplinary introduction to the cultures and history of Africa. The course visits almost every major region of the continent and explores a variety of themes and topics. The class offers you not only an understanding of what to think about the history, cultures, and politics of Africa but also how to think about this part of the world. The major themes will be examined in greater detail in the FIG’s main class as they relate to Senegal and West Africa.

African Cultural Studies 391: “First Semester Wolof” — This introductory class in Wolof provides the basics of communication in Senegal’s most widely spoken language. You will be well equipped for study abroad or volunteer work in Senegal. These new language skills will also help you understand and appreciate Senegalese music, videos, and rap lyrics.